The biggest challenge I face is probably not touching everything I see. When I don't know what something is, I want to explore it, pick it up, look from all sides, push a few buttons. That is obviously not ok at my internship, and I have come close to making some major mistakes. Like, kill me and ruin equipment in the process. Because of this I have taken to the habit of holding my hands behind my back and just leaning closer to things, which is only marginally better but better all the same.
A challenge that has come up for other people is finding the right parts to order. Most things are custom made so we are designing every aspect of it. If there is a disagreement between the engineers it halts progress for a while because everybody's input is heard and taken into account. That somewhat includes mine so me asking too many questions can be another problem. The engineers don't do anything to fix that problem though; allowing people to give input is worth the time lost.
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Today I looked at the blogs of other students to see what differences there were between our internships. I looked at Kenneth's blog and saw pictures of him surrounded by the elementary schooler's he works with. Kennedy's blog was just as funny as she is, but she doesn't seem to be having much fun at her internship. Ben's seemed to really respect the theater actors at his internship. Each one of my peers are very different and are in different settings but I think lots can be said about all of them. Kenneth is having a blast, but then again, this is Kenneth we are talking about. He could be in an empty room for hours and still be having fun. The raw joy he feels at his internship is how I feel when Leo is proud of my work. Kennedy's complaints about being locked out are very relatable to me (I don't have lab access codes still) but she likes the way her workspace looks. I love the scattered electronics and tools here, the organized chaos. Ben finds joy in human interaction, connecting with everybody around him, just as I like to do at lunch. Everyone has something different they connect with at their internship and I find that very interesting.
P.S. Don't tell Rollie I don't know exactly what field I want to go into so this internship has been very helpful.
Ryan did a great job of explaining the different parts of the scientific field. "physicists are dreams, the engineers make it a reality." This simple explanation has been on my mind all day, and it begs a question, am I a dreamer or a maker? I want to be both, but I don't know if I can. Because I have been thinking about this for so long, my role as an intern has changed. As of now I have only been a dreamer, only came up with ideas but haven't made them a reality. Come to think of it, I don't know if I can. We haven't ordered the linear motor yet and I don't know how long shipping will take... Looks like I will stay a dreamer for this internship, but at least I will know if I want to be a physicist or not. Today I had lunch with a group of people from EBUII (the building I'm in). We discussed everything from Star Wars to football, making jokes and having a great time all the while. It was a great break because I work in the back corner of the lab, tucked away in the electronics room. This isn't really "my workstation" but the machines are quite loud so being in the seperate room is more peaceful. I don't often see many people so Ryan coming and going really helps, and him pointing out the plug in speakers was very helpful; Rollie has been sick the past few days and the music helps keep me from getting lonely.
So before I talk about my project, I realize I have some explaining to do. Frankly I don't understand all of it so pardon the rough explaination.
Fusion is the bonding of two atoms to form a bigger one (generally two hydrogens forming heluim). Based on it's size, the energy released during this reaction is the most powerful in the universe, powering stars and one day maybe the earth too. DIII-D is a facility run by General Atomics that is trying to make fusion power a reality, and is home to the nation's largest magnetic confinement reactor. Here at UCSD they are testing various materials to see what is the best way to make a reactor work, how to keep it from tearing itself apart. A fusion reactor is trying to bottle the power of the sun, containing the reaction is nearly impossible. Nearly. This lab blasts various materials with plasm (ionized gas) and lasers to see what will hold up to the extreme conditions the best. There are long probes that jab into the plasma take data, and pull back out. This needs to happen in less than a second, the plasma will destroy almost anything it touches, especailly a delacate probe. The current method of moving the probe relies on pnuematics, or air power. However the delays of the valves opening and closing is enough to throw off the timing, not to mention the tubing clutters the whole area. The engineers want to upgade to a linear motor, but there are some problems that come along with that upgrade. It's my job to go down the list and start coming up with solutions. This job is pushing the limits of my problem solving skills, but I have yet to give up! So far none of my ideas have helped but it's only a matter of time until I get it. The person who benefits the most from my work so far is definitely Rollie. I have been making copies of a circuit all day today and it is a painfully slow process. The biggest component is the size of a kidney bean, the smallest is a metal tab the size of a freckle. Soldering them isn't that hard, but finding them in a room full of draws of components that all look the same has taken up much of my time. Rollie would probably do this way faster than I am, but I am still saving him that much time. The circuits will be used to monitor reactions that take place in the various units. So everybody who uses the lab will benefit from these.
This is a picture of me and an undergraduate student named Ryan. Ryan is a mechanical enginner who is working on a probe with 48 heads, more than double the number of the current probes. He is one of the few people who visits my little corner of the lab, and we talk about the college life, current projects and lacross. I have a really fun time talking with him and his company makes me feel welcome here.
While talking with Leo, the researcher who is charge of me, we discussed safety in the lab, something that is obviously very important. At first they were things that I expected, flammable liquids, compressed gas containers, big red buttons that sound alarms (no that wasn't a joke). Then he started pulling out the more intense stuff. Lasers that will blind you instantly or burn a hole through you. Beryllium, a metal that is lighter than aluminum, stronger than steel, and will kill you in quanties more than a few mircons per cubic meter of air. Dangerous science stuff. Awesome science stuff.
Below is a picture of me with a sign warning about Beryllium contamination, fun! UCSD's mission statement is the following: "UC San Diego will transform California and a diverse global society by educating, generating and disseminating knowledge and creative works, and engaging in public service." and I believe that they have accomplished this mission. Anybody who steps onto the campus can easily see that it is a global school. Students come from all over the country and world, all for the same purpouse; learning and growing. The fact that students from around the globe are drawn here proves that they are known for "educating, generateing and disseminating knowledge." If it was a bad school, nobody would attend. Beyond that, the creativity of the school is palpable in the art, architecture and landscaping of the campus. UCSD is as much a thing of beauty as it is a university.
I haven't gotten the chance to sit down with my mentor and talk, but I had lunch with one of the other researchers, an electrical engineer named Rollie. Rollie is an ex-navy engineer and worked in "pulse power" projects, experiments that require large bursts of electricity at once. He put me straight to work soldering a circuit board and taught me how to use an oscilloscope. Rollie also introduced me to some of the other people who worked in the building. I felt a really strong friendship between them and we had a great time talking together after lunch.
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InternshipThis is a series of blog posts made while I was interning Junior year. Archives
February 2017
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